Woodland's win for family here and above

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – After holing a short putt to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Gary Woodland plucked the ball from the hole and pointed skyward.

His entourage at TPC Scottsdale ran deep on Sunday: Both his parents were there, as were other family members. His wife, Gabby, was nearby holding his 7-month-old son, Jaxson.

But in the moment after capturing his first PGA Tour win in nearly five years, Woodland’s thoughts immediately went to the one family member who wasn’t there.

“That was just kind of a tribute to last year,” Woodland said while choking back tears. “Obviously we lost a little girl, and being there, seeing my wife give birth to her, that’s real.”

When he and Gabby first announced they were pregnant with twins last spring, Woodland explained on social media that it’s “the first time I’ve been excited about a double.” But that excitement turned to sorrow in the middle of Gabby’s pregnancy, when they learned that one of the twins would not survive.

Jaxson was born 10 weeks premature on June 23, the highlight of a tumultuous summer for Woodland that saw him spend almost as much time in the NICU ward at the hospital as on the course.

“I couldn’t wait for 2018 to start,” he explained. “Couldn’t wait for 2017 to be over with.”